Innovative Approach of Non-Thermal Plasma Application for Improving the Growth Rate in Chickens

Abstract

As an innovative technology in biological applications—non-thermal plasma technique—has recently been applied to living cells and tissues. However, it is unclear whether non-thermal plasma treatment can directly regulate the growth and development of livestock. In this study, we exposed four-day-incubated fertilized eggs to plasma at 11.7 kV for 2 min, which was found to be the optimal condition in respect of highest growth rate in chickens. Interestingly, plasma-treated male chickens conspicuously grew faster than females. Plasma treatment regulated the reactive oxygen species homeostasis by controlling the mitochondrial respiratory complex activity and up-regulating the antioxidant defense system. At the same time, growth metabolism was improved due to the increase of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 and their receptors expression, and the rise of thyroid hormones and adenosine triphosphate levels through the regulation of demethylation levels of growth and hormone biosynthesis-related genes in the skeletal muscles and thyroid glands. To our knowledge, this study was the first to evaluate the effects of a non-thermal plasma treatment on the growth rate of chickens. This safe strategy might be beneficial to the livestock industry.

Plasma Farming: Non-Thermal Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Technology for Improving the Growth of Soybean Sprouts and Chickens

“…Twenty plasma-treated females and 20 plasma-treated males in each group were analyzed, and this experiment was performed three times. The statistical validity was shown in the study of Zhang et al [19].…”

“…The appropriate application of non-thermal DBD plasma technique on fertilized eggs before hatching was found to improve the postnatal growth rate in chickens [19,20]. Plasma-treated chicken embryos from stage HH 20 (at a voltage of 11.7 kV for 2 min) exhibited the maximum growth rate (including the average daily gain and tibia length, with significant increases of 0.10-and 0.14-fold in females, 0.34-and 0.16-fold in males, respectively, compared to females and males in the control group) on day 30, and particularly a significant improvement was observed in the growth of male chickens [19]. Figure 1e showed a representative 30-day-old chicken appearance after the optimal condition of non-thermal DBD plasma treatment.…”

“…Figure 1e showed a representative 30-day-old chicken appearance after the optimal condition of non-thermal DBD plasma treatment. Serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 which contribute to improve the energy metabolism and protein synthesis for muscle and bone growth in poultry [80,81], thyroid hormones which play an important role skeletal muscle differentiation and growth [82], testosterone which increases the synthesis of myofibril and sarcoplasmic proteins and stimulates skeletal muscle ATP concentration and energy metabolism [83], and ATP levels were significantly increased in plasma-treated chickens; these metabolic improvements were found to be mediated by the regulation of demethylation levels in the skeletal muscle and thyroid gland [19]. However, next-generation chickens which were obtained from plasma direct-treated parents had no significant differences in the hatching rate, average daily gain, length of tibia, and concentrations of serum hormones (including growth hormone, thyroid hormones, insulin-like growth factor 1, and testosterone) and ATP, because their mothers had no significant changes in the female reproductive capacity (including the serum estradiol and progesterone levels which regulate egg production and quality [84][85][86], egg-laying rate, and egg weight) following the plasma treatment [20].…”

“…Our laboratory has already developed a non-thermal DBD plasma treatment system at an atmospheric pressure to generate electrically safe plasma [17][18][19][20][21][22]. In brief, the DBD plasma reactor consists of upper and lower disk-shaped electrodes with a diameter of 140 mm and a dielectric barrier with a thickness of 5 mm.…”

“…The detailed physical properties of non-thermal DBD plasma are shown in the study of Zhang et al [20]. The detailed experimental procedures of the DBD plasma technique applied on soybean seeds [17], chicken embryos [18][19][20], chicken spermatozoa [21], and chicken Sertoli cells [22] have already been described in detail. DBD plasma technique without substantial gas heating has a variety of advantages in the promotion of plant growth [23], biomedical applications in the treatment of bacteria sterilization, wound-healing, blood coagulation, dental treatment, and cancer treatment, and enhancements in the cell transfection efficiency, cell proliferation and differentiation, and tissue regeneration [24].…”